My Books

Saturday, August 31, 2013

Today I am pleased to present to you all the 91st in a series of Author Interviews. Recently I sat down with the happy-go-lucky, Yiro Abari, and our conversation went something like this:

Paul: I like to start my interviews by asking if you have any
writing rituals?

Yiro: Yes I have a number of online publications
but just one book, titled, How to Become a Music Maestro

Paul: What types of books
do you like to read? Who are your favorite authors? Why?

Yiro: I love to read just any type of book as long
as there is something to learn and the author is creative in the choice of his
topic and writing style.

Paul: If someone had the
power to step into your creative mind what would they see?

Yiro: They will see ideas that keep passing through
my mind. Some of which cannot be actualize as the environment where I live
lacks to supporting atmosphere.

Paul: What is a typical day
for you?

Yiro: Writing has not started fetching money for
me. As a result I work as a Chemistry teacher in a school. Whenever I close I spend
my time listening to news. In the course of listening to news an issue could
cross my mind and stir it leading to a topic that I will write about and
publish it on my blog. If it is music that I listened to and it occurred to me
to review it, I do that and post it on my blog for music reviews. That blog is
Nightingale; http://nightingaleng.blogspot.com.
If it is on another issue that falls in my general category, I post it on News
Tower: http://newstoweronline.blogspot.com

Paul: In all the years
you’ve been publishing your work, what is the biggest mistake you made that you
could share so others can avoid making it?

Yiro: I cannot remember any mistake I have made. I
am however still in the learning process and pray never to make any mistake
that will make me regret. I pray God to make this possible.

Paul: How do you find the time to write?

Yiro: My schedule is not tight actually. Any time
an idea crosses my mind I just sit and begin to type.

Paul: What is one thing you hope I do not tell the
readers?

Yiro: I cannot think of any now. Not because there
could never be but because none has crossed my mind at this point.

Paul: If you are self-published, what led to you
going your own way?

Yiro: I think this is the most important question
so far. I am Nigerian. In my country there is the issue of piracy for which the
authorities do little or nothing about. When my book was ready, the fact that I
could not trust any publisher in addition to the issue of piracy let me to
decide on independent publishing. I will rather hide my book on Amazon even if
there are no sales than to see somebody making a fortune from my sweat. People
involved in piracy are extremely rich and control the marketing network. It is
easy for them to print and sale any book that appears attractive to the public.
So I chose to self-publish so as to avoid falling victim of their greed.

Paul: Do you plot your stories or do you just get
an idea and run with it?

Yiro: I wanted to play music and be a superstar. I
was afraid of failure though. So I studied the works of the most successful
artists of the genre that I like the most in other to get it right. For some
reasons I could not play even after studying these artists and building my
confidence on how music is made. I however noticed that other young men and
women who want to go into music do not take time to study successful artists
like I did leading to the difficulties they face towards making
professionally-sounding music. An idea crossed my mind that rather than allow
the stuff in my mind to waste away, I could share it with these persons and
have my first book. That is how the idea came. I didn’t want to enrich the
cemetery like some guys who died with their ideas did.

Paul: Do you do a lot of editing or do you find
that as time goes on your writing is more fully-formed?

Yiro: I give the book I wrote to someone to edit.
Sometimes however one still sees errors. They could be due to my tampering with
what has been edited when better ways of putting messages across come passing
through my mind.

Paul: Do you have to do much research for your
stories?

Yiro: The book that I wrote involved critically
listening to the artists whose work I studied. I studied the first artist to
confirm my suspicions on how certain things ought to be done. Then studied many
more to further make sure that what I saw in the first was not a mere
coincidence. I believe that this is research even though I was not writing
anything down. I was however writing them in my mind though.

Paul: What is your most
recent book? Tell us a little about it

Yiro: How to Become a Music Maestro was my first
and last book. So it remains my recent book for now.

Paul: Do you enter competitions? Are there any you
could recommend?

Yiro: I tried to enter a competition with my poem,
The Boys and the Leaves. Initially they said it was free but as I continued to
the subsequent stages of sending my entry, I reached that point where they
requested for $3. I needed a credit card and I did not have any at the time.

Paul: How much marketing do you do for your
published works or for your ‘brand’?

Yiro: I have paid an organization for marketing but
there is a long story on waiting until the first quarter of the year when
people buy books. I have also paid an orgamoization to send traffic to my
website. They are currently doing that. This is in addition to article
syndication that I get involved in with Ezineartcles for which they send
traffic to my site in return.

Paul: What do you do when you’re not writing? Do
you have any hobbies or party tricks?

Yiro: Get online to read, play music and travel if
I have the money to do so.

Paul: That was great, Yiro. I wish you every success for the future.

About Yiro Abari: Yiro was born a Scorpio, in Jos Nigeria. He found a weekly publication known as Lagos Weekend and fall in love with it. It was the first material that revealed the beauty of information sharing to him and also inspired him. He started making manuscript copies of the most interesting topics from the publication and pasting them on his school’s notice board. Many years later, his own writings started appearing on another publication, The Nigerian Standard. He is currently the author of How to Become a Music Maestro: a handbook for intending music artists and owns a number of publications online

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Another year has passed, and this one is becoming a watershed year. I've written approximately 230,000 words for novels this year, and I'm on track to complete 400,000 by the end of 2013. My most prolific year to date was in 2011, when I wrote just over 250,000 words.

If you've been following my blog, you've seen its evolution since I first started writing it in February 2011. Now, two and a half years later, a lot of water has passed under the bridge. I'm looking forward to even bigger and better times ahead.

So, as a special birthday treat, you can use coupon code HZ76U at Smashwords, to pick up a copy of my dystopian sci-fi thriller, NotDone, for FREE. The coupon expires on August 31st, so get your copy while you can! Book two in the series, UnDone, launches on September 11th.

Oh, and as an Indie Author, if you download my book and read it, please consider giving me a review of it.

.Help..Help!…Please Help Us….Everything is NotDone.In a desolate country ravaged by years of war, the dwindling inhabitants of Ameiza live in a segregated society where fertility has its special privileges. But for the lesser citizens of Talbot City, draconian rule means persecution or even death. Can five subjugated workers break free from the autocracy and fashion a better existence? Or will the politics of families from ages past stand in the way of unity and freedom?

Monday, August 26, 2013

Ebooks have been around for several years now. And so have Kindles. But, one of the things I hear time and time again when I tell people all my books are available as ebooks, is that they don't have a kindle.

People, I'll tell you right here and now: YOU DON'T NEED A KINDLE TO READ AN EBOOK!!

And when I say for FREE, I mean by that the app to read the ebooks is free. The price of actual ebooks may vary.

If you have never tried reading a book on one of these devices, you should give it a go. Download your favorite ebook reader (mine is the kindle app by Amazon), and then get an ebook. It's really simple. I own hundreds of kindle books, and I can fit my entire library on my smartphone. Try doing that with regular books.

Anyway, enough said. If you're looking to try it out, head over HERE for your free kindle app, and then HERE for your free ebook to read (and, yes, of course it's one of my books!).

Sunday, August 25, 2013

As a writing week, it's been a mixed bag. I'm tired, and my body says it's time for a vacation! So, I've missed a couple of days of writing. But, what I did write was good stuff. I've still managed to write a respectable 11,000 words, so I guess I can't complain too loudly. There are always small setbacks along the path to success!

On other fronts, I have received all my feedback for UnDone, and next week I will be performing final edits on the novella, ready for release in September. I've also been busy performing first edits to Ryann's Brother. I'm really excited about this novel, and love where it's heading.

At 52,000 words into Xannu - The Mayhem, the novel is coming into shape. It's a good feeling.

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Today I am pleased to present to you all the 90th in a series of Author Interviews. Recently I sat down with the Renoir-loving flutist, Janett Lee Wawrzyniak, and our conversation went something like this:

Paul: I like to start my interviews by asking if you have any writing rituals?

Janett: A strategy that works for me is writing early
in the morning. When writing a novel my writing is directly on my computer. My
hand written notebook of research helps keep the flow of dialogue and narrative.
I do make separate interest notes that may be included in my notebook. I use
the snowflake method for organizing some writing material.

Paul: What
types of books do you like to read? Who are your favorite authors? Why?

Janett: My personal library has most genres including
classics, with more in the diverse range of the thriller genre. Author: David
Baldacci is one of my favorite science thriller authors. His books have
interesting characters with emotional reaction, and a strong plot with research
done.

Paul: If
someone had the power to step into your creative mind what would they see?

Janett: Looking into my creativity viewers would see
branching planning maps to my goals. These maps are not necessarily written in
stone. My ideas are written with desire, to perfectly interconnect in the
finished work with the highest quality possible.

Paul: How
do you find the time to write?

Janett: By scheduling regular writing time every
week, in three hour time blocks at least four times a week, I write to
completion. With the interest I have in my writing, I always find extra time to
develop any needed areas.

Paul: What
is one thing you hope I do not tell the readers?

Janett: Some simply don’t want to read but there is
always time to read. I hope you will tell readers everything. Readers like
rules.

Paul: Do
you plot your stories or do you just get an idea and run with it?

Janett: With my research I plot first. Then develop
the character arc within the right structure, they depend on each other with
narrative flow. Narrative flow enhances transitions with excitement and
reactions.

Paul: Do
you do a lot of editing or do you find that as time goes on your writing is
more fully-formed?

Janett: My writing is more fully formed. My personal
editing checks are done in block reviews for each chapter.

Paul: Do
you have to do much research for your stories?

Janett: Most of my research is at hand in my files
and some in notebooks. There are always possible interesting technology updates
to research.

Paul: What is your most recent book? Tell us a
little about it

Janett: Secret Terror In Wavelengths – Wave Links, a
science thriller book with crime, suspense, action and adventure. Someone’s
targeted earth’s population with a kill list and there is a loss of safety in
the USA. Citizens are being crushed by business scientists, transitioning into
another wavelength. What does that mean for people organized today? That’s
the kind of power leading Secret Terror. Will an early retired Navy Seal and
Veterans, initiate wavelength tracking and blocking in time? Brave
Law Enforcement and Agencies battle for life in area raids; will they hear
technology turns the war to their advantage?

Paul: How
much marketing do you do for your published works or for your ‘brand’?

Janett: All of my internet sites have links for
purchase. My writer’s platform includes free writing instruction at
Writer’s Craft In Fiction http://janettleewawrzyniak.blogspot.com/.
Other links have up to date information for writing needs, with the most
pertinent from the first page on search engines. Continual book awareness
promotion is key in marketing. My sites will remain in place unless there are
technical difficulties.

Janett: I enjoy all aspects of writing and look
forward to my time spent in writing. My favorite is developing great characters
to follow that feel three-dimensional and real. I don’t have a least
favorite aspect of writing. Nothing has surprised me to this time in my writing
life.

Paul: What
do you do when you’re not writing? Do you have any hobbies or party tricks?

Janett: I oil paint in the style of Pierre-Auguste
Renoir who was a French artist and contributed to the development of the
Impressionist style. I enjoy my flower garden of roses, red and white with
various short red flowers under them. My roses grow within an inviting garden
of tall ferns and trees. I have a background in music and currently play a
flute the (dizi, soprano.) I do have other hobbies.Paul: Thank, Janett, that was great. I wish you every success for the future.

About Janett Lee Wawrzyniak: Janett Lee Wawrzyniak has over 14 years of working expertise as Training director/instructor in technical operations/systems, research and development with University in military employ. With additional skills in Team Leadership, System Administration, Technology, Library Research, Internal Investigations, Creative Writing, Technical Writing, Resume Writing, Astrophysics, Blueprint Reading, Military Operations, Ethical Leadership, Operations Management.
Has an Associate Author Membership with International Thriller Writers, ITW.
Her site, Writer's Craft In Fiction http://janettleewawrzyniak.blogspot.com/ helps with research and development in writing. She can be visited at other sites. Born and raised in California she currently lives in the Pacific Northwest Area with her Chesapeake Bay Retriever (Strada Fuhrs) and Quaker Parrot (June Feathers).

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Today I am pleased to publish my 14th guest blog post. You too can have a post published on my blog. Just read the guidelines HERE. In the meantime, enjoy...

7 Tips I Have Learned
About Connecting with My Purpose for Writing My Memoir

By: Kathleen Pooler

“Say what you have to say, not
what you ought to.” Henry
David Thoreau

Memoir is a slice of
life told as a story. It has a transformative power for both the writer and the
reader. I want to invite my reader into my experience in a way that connects
them with their own experiences.

In order to do that, I have to connect with my
own purpose for writing my story.

Everyone has a story
to tell, but not everyone feels the need to write about it. Or maybe they don’t
feel they have a story worth telling.

I think it starts with
believing we have a story to tell.

Like many others,
although I have felt for years I have a book inside me, I did not become clear
on my intention for writing it until I found my story.

I had to write my way to my
purpose… many years of
journaling, four years of taking writing classes, writing vignettes, going to
conferences and hours of pondering and shooing away my inner critic.

The story that begged to be told
revealed itself to me over time and through many hours of doubts and detours.

I’d put it aside for
weeks at a time, then feel the nudge to revisit it, each time digging a little
deeper. The story was always with me.

Through two rounds
of professional developmental edits and two rounds of beta readers, my story is
being shaped and polished before sending it to a copy editor.

It’s kind of like
cleaning the house in preparation for the cleaning lady.

Through it all, I
can say, I have connected to my purpose for writing.

Once I became clear
on why I wanted to write my story, I was able to develop a deep connection to
it. Consequently it has guided me in my writing.

If I am clear, the
reader will be clear. I can dig deeper and speak from deep within.

Connecting with my story, the
only one I can tell, allows me to believe I have a story to tell.

Here are 7 tips I
have learned about connecting to my purpose:

1. I have to find ways to get
past my inner critic.
You know, the one who says:

Sometimes when I
start to write, I have no idea how the story will unfold. I may start in the
middle and if I let the writing flow, I eventually find the beginning and end.

After I show up, I
need to get out the way of the story and let the words flow. I can go back and
change later.

4. Connecting with my purpose
helped me to identify the main themes of my story.

When I connected
with the purpose for writing and found the heart of my story, I was able to
identify the themes to shape my story around.

This made it easier
to stay true to the themes, which became the foundation for the story structure.

5. Taking time to pause and
think has helped me be clear on my purpose.

This has helped me
to tap into memories and make connections about their meaning from my adult
perspective. Sometimes my best ideas flow when I take time to walk in the
garden or sit in church.

As writers know, we
really are working when we’re staring out the window.

6. I need to keep my overall
purpose in mind as I revise.

If I am clear on my
main message and the audience I am targeting, I can approach suggestions from
editors and beta readers with a sense of purpose, staying true to my story
while remaining open to constructive feedback.

7. Connecting with my purpose
for writing has been my guiding light and is helping me get to the finish line:

I am taking the time
to write
it right because I do believe that I have a story to tell and that I am
the only one who can tell it.

How about you? Do you feel
connecting with your purpose for writing has helped guide you?

About Kathleen Pooler: Kathleen Pooler is a writer and a retired Family
Nurse Practitioner who is working on a memoir and a sequel about how the power
of hope through her faith in God has helped her to transform, heal and
transcend life’s obstacles and disappointments:domestic abuse, divorce, single parenting, loving and letting go of an
alcoholic son, cancer and heart failure to live a life of joy and contentment.
She believes that hope matters and that we are all strengthened and enlightened
when we share our stories.